I remembering purchasing my first 40d a little more than two years ago... f'ing just getting a clear shot was the most of my worries.. think you're doing great.. like the ideas behind your photos.. the learning task ahead of you will be a fun and an expensive challenge.. look forward to you posting more pictures, always good to see a different perspective..

#1 is not the most interesting shot but it's not bad for having your camera such a short time. I am no fan of tilted photos but it works nicely here. I am also not a big fan of canned effects but it also works fine here.

#2 's tilt doesn't add anything to the image which, to me, is boring anyway. The bridge seems like it might be interesting but not in this image.

Overall, I'd say learn to take good straight photos before you start messing with effects. Effects are too often used by newbies to mask problems with the original image.

Thank you all for your comments.... I like to try and find the correct exposure instead of fixing it in photoshop, problem is that my LCD screen on my D90 sometimes display better looking images than when I actually download the images on my computer.